The Dutch Warmblood Horse

Even today, the Dutch horses continue to be influenced by imported blood, but the special qualities (temperament, adaptability and soundness) which have made the Dutch Warmblood horse unique, continue to be treasured and cultivated. Although the word "breed" denotes to most English speaking horsemen a closed studbook (like that of the Arabians and Thoroughbreds), it has a different connotation in the European Warmblood breeding community. Breed refers to the "breeding area" as much as to the strict purity of the bloodlines. Each breeding area sets its own breeding goals and style of administration which, despite shared background and bloodlines, gives specific qualities and characteristics to its horses.